MONDAY, Nov. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Whole genome sequencing of blood samples improves detection of rare genetic conditions called mitochondrial disorders, British researchers report. These disorders are inherited and affect about 1 in 4,300 people, causing progressive, incurable diseases. Though they are among the most common inherited disorders, mitochondrialContinue Reading

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Researchers may have unearthed a surprising risk factor for often-fatal brain bleeds: Sleepless nights. In a study of about 70,000 adults, researchers found that people with a genetic predisposition to insomnia were at somewhat higher risk of a brain aneurysm. An aneurysm isContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Oct. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) — New research in mice may provide clues to age-related hair loss in men and women. Scientists found that as hair stem cells in mice age, they lose the stickiness that keeps them secured inside the hair follicle. This allows the stem cells toContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Oct. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Nine of 10 patients with so-called “bubble boy” immune disease who received gene therapy about a decade ago are still disease-free, researchers report. The gene therapy was developed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to treat the rare and deadly immuneContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Sept. 30, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Artificial intelligence (AI) might be able to spot the next virus to jump from animals to humans, Scottish researchers report. Identifying diseases before they become a threat to humans is challenging, because only a few of the nearly 2 million animal viruses canContinue Reading

FRIDAY, Sept. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Cholesterol made in the brain may spur development of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests. Cholesterol made by cells called astrocytes is needed for controlling production of amyloid beta, a sticky protein that builds up in the brain and accumulates into the plaquesContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Sept. 16, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Even when genetics and personality are working against you, having a strong network of supportive friends and family may help lower alcoholism risk, researchers say. “Genes play an important role in alcohol use,” stressed Jinni Su, an assistant professor of psychology at ArizonaContinue Reading

TUESDAY, Sept. 14, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appears to be somehow linked to risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, a new multigenerational study has found. Parents and grandparents of people with ADHD have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia than people with no ADHD in theirContinue Reading

SATURDAY, Sept. 11, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Most parents want their children to live carefree lives, so a diagnosis of childhood cancer is devastating. Fortunately, pediatric cancers are rare. Yet it doesn’t hurt to be watchful for the warning signs, suggest experts in childhood cancer from Penn State Health. TheContinue Reading

MONDAY, Sept. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Danish researchers have found genetic causes for epilepsy in half of children they studied and said half of those could be treated with targeted therapies. That’s the upshot of genetic testing of 290 children born between 2006 and 2011. Some had been diagnosedContinue Reading

FRIDAY, Sept. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A new coronavirus variant called Mu that may be able to evade existing antibodies, including those from vaccines, is under close watch by U.S. health officials. The variant hasn’t taken extensive hold in the United States at this point, but the U.S. NationalContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Aug. 12, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Schizophrenia is a debilitating disease that can make navigating daily life a massive challenge, but a new blood test could flag it in its early stages, researchers say. Their analysis of blood samples identified epigenetic markers — part of your DNA — thatContinue Reading